The Issues | Sievers 2026

Accessible &

Affordable Healthcare

After working in mental health, nursing, and healthcare leadership for the last 15 years, I know that my community recognizes how broken our healthcare system is. At the Capitol, we need to focus on holding insurance companies accountable.

I continue to hear from families who are struggling to care for their parents at end of life. Our political landscape and corrupt insurance companies continue to leave our families struggling.

I'm not asking for everything to be free; I'm just asking for people to have coverage when they have paid for it and need it. My own grandmother died after 2 years of waiting for coverage she qualified for, one day before the insurance company kicked in coverage.

Iowans deserve accessible healthcare and quality of life, and I am dedicated to fighting for this at the state capitol. In my professional life, my job is to fix broken systems. I'm good at it, and I want to remove legislation that is in the way and write legislation that will help our families.

Small Businesses, Farms &

Local Economy

Iowa was ranked the worst economy in 2025. Iowa landed at 51st on the list. It's time for change. Legislation over the last decade has incentivized corporations, while ignoring our small business and small farm owners.

We are in a workforce crisis. It's hard to find local workers anymore to help on our farms. Over 1/3 of our Iowa college students are leaving to pursue work elsewhere due to low wages and better opportunities in other states.

I recognize that many small business owners are worried about increasing minimum wage. I would love to sit down with you and figure out how we can implement legislation that promotes and incentivizes economic growth and increases in minimal wage incrementally overtime while protecting and growing your small business. Tax cuts should prioritize small businesses. You are the expert, and I'd like to be the legislative liaison to help you grow and stay here in Iowa.

Strong and Funded Public
Education

When I was growing up, Iowa was known as the gold standard for public education, and I was proud to be a product of that education. Over the last decade, we’ve dropped from 4th to 24th in education. Over the years, politics have created rhetoric that our public education system is failing our children.

Funneling our public taxpayer dollars into private schools is not only putting our state budget into a multi-million dollar deficit, but it is crushing the foundation of our education system. The truth is building academic achievement takes more than funding. We have to adequately resource our educators and our schools to reduce class sizes and rebuild the strong foundation that put us back into top-of-class education for our children.

Public education is the most critical public service in the state of Iowa, serving 500,000 of our children. Our children are counting on us.

Union Workers Matter

I am committed to fighting for workers here in Iowa because I believe in the fundamental principle that every worker deserves fair treatment, safe working conditions, and a voice in their workplace.

My husband is a proud union Millwright, and I know personally how important a strong workplace, bargaining rights, and fair wages are to a family because that is my family. Unions play a crucial role in advocating for better wages, benefits, and job security, which in turn strengthens and boosts our local economy.

You might not realize it, but union workers are the ones that make your life better and more convenient every day. From our delivery and mail service workers, to our public school teachers, to our laborers that keep our streets in good condition and build your homes, to the electricians that keep your homes safe, to our police and fire, and the list goes on.

By supporting unions and workers' rights, we ensure that all workers have the opportunity to thrive, contribute meaningfully to our society, and secure a better future for themselves and their families.

Securing Mental Healthcare Access

I have spent my life building up programs for mental health services. Our veterans, many who are experiencing homelessness, need more support and outreach. Our children are experiencing higher rates of mental health issues than ever before, and 700,000 children attempted suicide in the last year alone. We cannot ignore this need anymore.

I believe that mental health is just as important as physical health, and every Iowan deserves access to services. Mental health issues affect nearly all people across their lifespan, and without proper support and resources, individuals and families suffer.

By advocating for expanded mental healthcare access, we can reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, provide essential services to those in need, and build healthier, more resilient communities.

It is imperative that we invest in mental health infrastructure, increase funding for mental health programs, and ensure that mental health services are accessible, affordable, and comprehensive for all Iowans.

Supporting Police, Fire, Veterans, & EMS

Those who put their lives on the line every day deserve to know that they have all the tools they need to do their job and come home safely. It is important to me that they feel supported and that legislation supports their critical role in serving our community.

The term "#BackTheBlue" is one I will always standby. I know our police department very well, and I respect every single one of them. I think the political environment has put them in a bad situation and media wrongly focuses only on the bad eggs, not the reality of how amazing our police officers are. They have been working really hard to repair their relationships with our community.

Firefighters are dying of cancer at very high rates, yet it took years to get legislation passed to improve healthcare coverage needed to care for them when they get a cancer diagnosis. We need to do better at the State Capitol.

For me, it means standing behind the brave men & women who choose to risk their lives for our safety while also holding accountability to ethical standards and transparency.

Building a safer community also requires ensuring that EMS and the emergency departments have the necessary funding, staffing, training, and resources to remain the backbone of our public safety.

I'm proud to stand behind our veterans, police, fire, and EMS services while also working with them to restore the faith and trust that was lost in the community because of bad politics.

Protecting Individual Decision Making

I know we are divided as Iowans on many issues, but I will stand consistent in my opinion of protecting personal decision-making and keeping medical decisions within the family. As a nurse, who lives in the reality of very complex healthcare decisions every day, I will continue to secure the right to reproductive healthcare for women.

Everyone deserves to have their own opinions on abortion, but I promise you that abortion rates have always been very low in Iowa. The result of government getting involved and creating false fear has been the closure of 42 women's health centers in Iowa. Our infant mortality rate has climbed to the top of the nation. Abortion has been politicized and criminalizes women and doctors for providing necessary access to healthcare.

I'll share a recent example that no family should ever endure. A mother of 3 was pregnant with her 4th child and found out she had cancer. Her family's decision to pursue cancer treatment was taken away with the abortion ban legislation because it would have terminated the pregnancy (i.e., abortion). She passed away and so did the baby she was carrying, leaving the father and the 3 children without a mother.

This medical decision needs to remain within the family. We also need to protect our community from the discriminatory legislation that continues to come out of the capitol. It has all gone too far. This is not who we are as Iowans.

Natural Resources and Clean Water

Protecting our natural resources in Iowa is paramount, particularly as we confront pressing challenges such as water pollution and rising cancer rates. The state's waterways are increasingly contaminated with agricultural runoff and industrial pollutants, threatening both the environment and public health.

Please know how much I respect our farmers, and at the same time, legislation must shift to incentivizing sustainable farming practices that improve outcomes of our natural resources in Iowa. Such measures not only safeguard our natural resources but also ensure the long-term well-being of Iowa's communities.

Instead of cleaning up our water, our Govenor just defunded the most critical water sensor monitoring program that gives the public access to information about the safety of their water.

We should not have to tell Iowa families they must put in reverse osmosis water systems that remove high nitrates and contaminants to reduce cancer risks, but I will help write legislation to give tax cuts so families can get these systems in their homes while we work on these critical environmental changes.

We love Iowa, we want to stay here. Change takes time, so let's work together while we figure it out.